To Live is to Fight: To Fight is to Live
by A Dyslexic Writer
Summary: He knew the moment he saw her green eyes that she was a fighter. That she would do anything to say alive, press herself beyond her limits. He took her under his wing, taught her the sword, and show her how to survive. Dumbledore will be in for a surprise. Female!Harry
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own anything.**

* * *

Poppy Potter pushed herself forward as best she could, commanding her aching legs to keep moving. One step, and then another, and another.

She wasn't going to be fast enough. She could hear them coming closer, angry shouts. She didn't dare look back, knowing that the three men would be catching up to her. There swords would be out. If they caught her, it would be all over again.

Her legs were so much shorter than the men's and with the bundle of food she had stolen from the men. It was slowing her down. She should get rid of it. Maybe they would stop chasing her to retrieve it, maybe they would just let her go. But her arms held tight to the bundle, unwilling to let it go. The cruelty of hunger was much worse than death by a blade. At least being cut down would be a quick end.

The dirt patting underneath her bare feet sounded like thunder as she ran. Each foot step showing that she was still alive. She was still fighting.

She turned into an alley, hoping to lose her pursuers, but only managed to ram herself into a crate that had been just out of her field of vision and tumble to the ground, the food spilled out from her hands and rolled in its wrapping across the ground.

Poppy's eyes focused on it and she crawled to it, reaching out to try to grab hold of it. But before her hands could reach it, a sandaled foot stopped down on her hand hard enough for her to feel her fingers popping as they struggled to stay in their joints and she gave a scream of pain.

"You thought you could just steal from us you little shit!" The foot was withdrawn from her hand only to smash into her stomach, sending her tumbling into a wall.

The men had caught up to her and now stood above her, swords in hand and horrible looks on their faces. Then again, they might have just been ugly people.

One of them bent down to pick back up the bundle of food and held it up between two fingers, waving it around in front of Poppy, watching as her eyes stayed glued to it. "No one steals from us, brat. This mistake will cost you." One of the three said as he spat to the side. "And since it doesn't look as if you have anything to pay with, I guess we will just have to take your life."

"Now hold on guys, after she gave us all this trouble, I don't think we can let her off that easy." Another said, stepping forward and towards Poppy. "I think we should have a little fun with her first."

Poppy's heart sank and memories of her uncle doing things to her that could not be recounted flashed through her mind. They weren't going to just kill her. They were going to rape her first.

The thought was horrifying. She wanted to do something. Wanted to scream. Wanted to fight back. But her arms and legs wouldn't move. Her lungs refused to process oxygen after that kick to her stomach and so she just lay there as the man came closer.

Then they stopped. Poppy thought that it was just her mind speeding up as her own end approached for a second time, but it wasn't. The men had stopped for a more mundan reason. They were all dead.

The spray of blood socked the entire alley as their bodies spilt in half. The death so sudden that their hearts had not been told to stop pumping and the blood just continued to squirt out everywhere. Poppy was drenched in the closest man's blood. It had covered her face and bits of it got into her mouth. Though thought she would throw up, but there was nothing in her stomach. After a moment of gagging, she looked up to see a figure standing over behind where the men had been.

It was a massive man. Poppy wasn't even sure it was truly a human at all. He was almost ten feet tall and built like a ox. The unclean rags on his body were loose around him, showing lean and muscular arms, the guy had on honest to god ten pack! Poppy had never even heard of something like that. His face was narrow and his eyes hard and black as coal. His black hair was straight and unwashed, falling down to his shoulders in a manner that suggested he didn't care about his appearance. He was sliding a long blade into its sheath. The blade's edge was rough and Poppy thought it resembled the teeth of a wild animal.

The man screamed danger, almost everything in Poppy's body told her to run. To get away from this monster. But the desire for safety left her, when she saw him holding up the bundle of food.

The claws of hunger gripped at her, telling her that if she let this slip through her fingers, she would die. She had to get that food. She had to.

Struggling to her feet, she grabbed one of the swords the men who had been chasing her had been carrying. It was way to long for her, over twice the size of her body, and it was so heavy. But she used what strength she had left to lift it up in both hands and point the edge at the monster.

"Give... that to me." She gasped as she struggled to hold up the blade. The creature just looked at her with a blank expression, as if she wasn't even worth seeing. Like she wasn't even there. Poppy growled and rushed forward, trying to use her momentum and just letting the weight of the sword do most of the work. She put her entire will behind the one strike.

The monster of a man caught it. He caught the blade with his bare hand. Poppy's eyes widened in shock. The blade shattered at the half way point as the man put pressure on it. Poppy was pushed backward, falling over as the weight of the blade was changed.

She looked up at the monster, thinking that he was going to kill her now. But to her surprise he was staring at the palm of his hand. The hand he had used to catch the blade.

A small trickle of blood was sliding down his hand. As if he had only gotten a paper cut. It was the only sigh of damage. How could he just catch a blade like that, and only get a paper cut. But it looked as if he was surprised to see the blood there. He looked at Poppy, as if seeing her for the first time, a grin spreading over his face.

Poppy's mind was registering all of this in a daze. Her body was so weak and heavy. She had used up what little strength she had.

"No... I can't..." She mumbled as she tried to push herself up, using the broken sword as a crutch. She had to keep going. She refused to die. She tried to fight away the darkness that was moving into her vision, but it was no good. Her knees gave way, and she collapsed to the ground.

* * *

Zaraki Kenpachi, the Demon of Rukongai, carried the small girl under his left arm back towards the place where he and his little charge, Yachiru had been holding up the last few days.

He had been surprised when this tiny black haired girl had somehow managed to gather up another spiritual pressure to put the smallest of cuts on his hardened skin. Surprised enough to take an interest in the child. The look in her green eyes as she struggled to hold onto life impressed the fighter, so he took her along.

The girl was thin as a bone, on the verge of starving to death. With her being so small from starvation, it was hard to tell her age, but Zaraki guessed that she would have been around seven or eight if she had been human and well feed.

Her hair was a mess, though Zaraki couldn't exactly judge there. It was more than half way down her back and was a tangled black mess. Her face was bony, probably do the starvation rather than it naturally being that way. The child looked pathetic.

Even so, that look the girl had given him was that of a fighter, and she had actually tried to pick up a blade against him. He could respect that. More than respect it, he wanted to cultivate that.

"Kenny!" Yachiru shouted happily as the man entered the house that he had cleared for the girl and him to sleep in. It had used to be a bandit hideout, but Zaraki had liked the location, not the bandits. "What's that you got there, Kenny!?" Yachiru asked as she hopped up and down next to the large man, before climbing up his clothes to get a better look at the girl underneath his arm.

Yachiru was the first child to catch the man's eye. The little pink haired girl only looked to be around three or four by human standards. Zaraki had found her right after her parents had been murdered and she had been all alone in the world. But for some odd reason, she had gravitated towards a man as drenched in blood as Zaraki, with no fear what so ever. So the Demon had taken her in, trained her to defend herself and kept her safe and feed.

"Brought a new friend for you. You can introduce yourself as soon as she wakes up." Zaraki said in his gruff voice as he lowered the girl onto a bed and brought out some of the food he had taken, placing it beside her so that she would be able to grab it the moment her eyes opened.

"Who is she?" The little pink haired girl asked as she pushed back the girl's hair to show a lightning bolt shaped scar on the center of her forehead.

"Don't know. Guess we'll find out." Zaraki said with disinterested shrug of the shoulders as he started at his own food. Something told him the girl would wake up, he just had to wait. In the meantime, he could get his afternoon nap.

* * *

 **I'm not going to be using the name Poppy for long. It was just something that Zaraki could think is stupid before discarding to give her a new name.**

 **The name I'm planning on is 'Senkou Marai' meaning either 'Flash of Lightning' or 'Bright Future'.**

 **I saw a different story involving Zaraki adopting a female Harry, but I don't feel they really captured Zaraki very well... he didn't have a single line of dialogue.** **Despite his violent nature, Zaraki is deep and dangerously intelligent. There is more to him then just being a comically laid back Captain and a man who hangs out with a little girl. And I feel like an opportunely was missed.**

 **Harry, or in this case Poppy, starved to death because her uncle locked her in the cupboard and just left her there until she died. Thus the fear of starvation outweighing the fear of Zaraki.**


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing that young Poppy Potter saw when she opened her eyes was a loaf of bread and a strip of meat. It took all of three seconds for her brain to register what it was, using sight, smell and feel to convince her that it was all real and not just her imagination. Then as the clawing fingers of hunger ripped at her again, she was up and shoving the food into her mouth as fast as she could. She nearly chocked on it before she remembered that she needed to chew.

Tears came to her eyes and she stomach struggled to readjust. It had been so long since she had eaten that her body was shocked at having something to digest. It shouted in protest, telling her that she was putting too much in, but she ignored it, not stopping until everything had been forced down her throat. Only then did she start to breath again.

"Wowee! You sure are a messy eater!" Poppy jumped as she turned her head to the side to see a tiny girl with bright pink hair bending over her from a table next to the bed she found herself sitting on. Poppy just stared at the girl blankly, trying to figure out what was going on. She thought she had died. So was this the after after-life? "Kenny! Wake up! She awake, shes awake!" The girl shouted, jumping fifteen feet across the room to land on a figure that was laying on the ground on the opposite side of the large room.

Poppy nearly stopped breathing again when she realized it was the monstrous individual from before. The pink haired child was jumping up and down on him as if he was a bouncy castle, laughing as she did so. Was the girl insane? That monster would kill them both.

Before Poppy could do anything to stop her, the large man started to shift around. "Yachiru... Did you have to wake me up?" He grumbled as he started to scratch himself and roll his shoulders, which popped loudly as the stiffness went out of them. Poppy caught herself wondering why she was on a bed and the man was resting on the hard floor.

"But Bolty is awake now! Now we can all talk and find out the mysteries and stuffs!" The girl, Yachiru said as she jumped up, grabbing onto the side of the man's face and pulling out his cheek to wake him up further.

"Uh... fine, I'm awake." 'Kenny' said as he moved to his feet, reminding Poppy just how tall he was. He turned to the Potter girl and looked about her, seeing the empty plate. "You ate. That's good. Looks like your will to live hasn't left you yet." Poppy blinked, had this man saved her life and gave her food? Why would he had done that? "Name, what is it?"

"P...Poppy Potter." Poppy said trying to hold herself calmly. Her eyes were looking for exits, but she was holding off moving. She needed to understand what was going on.

"Hm... Stupid name." He grumbled, moving up one hand and using his pinkie to clean the earwax out of his ear. "I'm Zaraki Kenpachi."

"And I'm Kusajishi Yachiru!" The small girl shouted as she climbed up onto the man's shoulder.

Zaraki, Kusagjishi; they were names of districts, two of the most dangerous and lawless districts. It was common for people without memories to use the name of the district they found themselves in as a name. They were sometimes referred to as 'bastard' names, names for those with no family ties. People that Poppy's uncle and aunt would have called 'low born freaks'.

"You're rather young to be in a place like this, though I suppose death has never known ages." Zaraki said looking down at the Potter girl. "How'd it happen? You remember it don't you? Have to, if you got your name."

"I... I had to live with my uncle and aunt after my parents died in a car crash. My uncle and aunt hated me, so eventually they just locked me in the cupboard under the stairs and left me there while they went for their summer vacation. After two weeks, I starved to death." Poppy said. It was painful to talk about, but she didn't want to anger this giant man by denying him information.

A pitying look crossed his face. "What a pathetic way to die. Being trapped and unable to fight back." Zaraki said, sounding rather disgusted. Poppy felt insulted, he had just called her death pathetic. "You were weak, weren't you? Unable to fight back while your uncle did whatever he wanted to you." Poppy's head fell. "You want to be strong?"

Poppy lifted her head. "What?"

"If you become strong, then that won't happen to you again. As long as you are alive, you can fight, so you just have to become strong enough to fight for your life." Zaraki said as he grabbed a short sword from beside him, tossing it onto the bed next to the girl. Poppy blinked as she looked at it. Even though it was hardly even large enough to be considered a dagger to the large man, it would be a long sword as far as she was concerned. Zaraki then turned and walked back to where he had been resting before. "Get some more sleep. After that, I'm going to start your train. Got that, Marai?"

"Train? Wait, what did you call me?" The little girl said confused. This was not what she had been expecting from the man.

"Poppy Potter died because she was weak. So you are going to have to be someone else for now on. This is district 76, the Senkou district, right? Senkou Marai, it means, Flash of Lightning. It'll be your new name, so get used to it." Zaraki said as he fell back down to the ground and stretched out. "I will make you stronger. Once you are, the three of us will head for the Seireitei, I've got to start living up to my name soon. That squad eleven Captain's seat will be mine. Just like it has always supposed to have been."

Poppy... no, Marai's jaw dropped at the comment. The open declaration that he would go and defeat a Captain of the thirteen court guard squads was like if a normal human declaring that they were going to wrestle an elephant. Could this man really be that strong? And if so, could he really make her strong?

"You're going to be sticking with us for now on!" Yachiru said with a large grin. "Don't worry sis, Kenny is reallllly nice, and we will have a lot of fun!"

Marai's heart jumped up into her throat. "S...sis?" She said in surprise.

"That's right! You, me, and Kenny! We are family now!" Yachiru said with the same wide smile. Marai didn't know what to say. She had never had a good family, not that she could remember. She had never had a sister to play with, or a father that would protest and teach her. Tears started to form in her eyes as emotions over took her. She looked to where Zaraki Kenpachi was laying on the ground.

"Thank you." She whispered, hoping that the words wouldn't cause the world around her to shatter. Not long after that, her exhaustion returned to her and she was fast asleep.

* * *

Though Zaraki had lay down and closed his eyes, he wasn't really asleep. His mind was still moving and his teeth were being pressed together as he struggled to stop his anger from raising his spiritual pressure to a point were he would hurt the girls.

Cowards.

How Zaraki hated cowards. People who wielded their power against those who couldn't even hope to defend themselves. People who took pleasure in causing others pain rather than in the thrill of the battle itself. Those who hurt children were the worst offenders. Such people had no right to even breath.

Zaraki had seen starvation before, it was a horrible thing to see. But imprisonment till starvation was even worse. To take way any chance to resist the onslaught of death so that the person could only sit and watch as their own life slowly dripped away from them. Such a thing is cruel beyond words.

And there was no reason to believe that the abuse and cruelty ended there. It was clear as day that she had been forced to do thing against her will for a long time. The way she looked at him as she gave the response to his questions, as if trying to gage his reactions if he was to lash out at her for it. Wincing at every slightest move of his arms. He hadn't even dared to approach her.

Then there was the scar. That wasn't the kind of scar someone got in an accident. Nor was it the kind that someone got in a fight. The shape was clear and clean, but at the same time unnaturally jagged. It was as if someone had pinned her down and carefully cut open her head with a knife.

If Zaraki ever met this 'uncle and aunt' of hers, he would kill those bastards. He would rip them in half lengthwise and display their corpses for all to see. He would destroy them. Then he would find a way to open up a gateway to hell, go down there and do it all over again.

With those violent thoughts in his mind, the madman smiled to himself and finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Tears soaked Dumbledore's beard and his noise was running. He couldn't stop crying. "Oh Merlin. It's all my fault." He moaned to himself. "I'm so sorry. Lily, James... I'm so sorry."

The tragedy of it. He had placed Poppy Potter in her Aunt's care because the magic that tied their blood together would protect the girl from the world of magic. From all the dark wizards and witches who would want to harm her. But in doing so, it had also obscured his own sight of the girl. He had suspected that she might not be treated fairly, but that was little press to pay for safety. For the chance to grow up like a normal little girl.

He had not known, not until it was far too late. Only once she had died did the magic around the house vanish, leaving Dumbledore to find to his horror what kind of place he had left that poor innocent girl in.

Was this to be his fate, to always believe in the humanity within peoples hearts will rule out over their own personal grudges only to be proven wrong at every turn. He had believed that Grindelwald would try to help open peoples eyes, only for his childhood friend to become the worst of murders. He had been blind to the man's true ways by his own love for the man.

He had believed that Tom could be shown that there was good in people's hearts, but he was wrong there too. Tom became a dark lord. One who was so horrible that people refused to even say his name. He killed thousands and sent the world into chaos. Dumbledore should have put a stop to him long before.

He believed that Peter would have kept his friends secret and kept them safe, only for him to sell them out for his own benefit. He believed that people would see that Sirus was innocent, only for the man to wind up in the worst of prisons.

He had believed that Petunia would look past her own prejudices and keep the child of her sister safe, only for the girl to live through five years of hell before being starved to death at the age of seven. He should have kept Poppy himself. He should have given up his life to keep her safe. Seeing the Dursley parents dragged away to prison for their crimes was little comfort. The headmaster's conscious cried out at him, calling him a fool for believing in the power of something as unstable as love.

"Please... forgive me." He whispered again. But it was far too late. The girl was gone, and the dead could not hear him.


	3. Chapter 3

Marai adjusted her one handed grip on her practice sword, letting the built up tension leave her fingers as she stared at her opponent. Though the 'match' had been going on for nearly a half hour, she had yet to start breathing heavily. Her opponent however wasn't exactly in as good of shape.

Abarai Renji, Squad 11's eighth seat was standing before her, sweat covering his face as he held his practice sword in the standard Kendo position they taught at the Academy, preparing himself for another bout. His spiky red hair was out of sorts from all the times he had been introduced to the ground, but he was still going, despite the black and blue welts that covered his body, one of which was holding an eye closed.

With an aggressive shout, the man rushed forward towards the little girl, doing a two handed down swing. But with the standard two handed style he used, his strikes were too slow, and too predictable.

Marai easily side stepped the strike while bringing her own wooden sword up, having it glance off of the side of his ribs as she walked closer up to him. Then using her free hand she preformed a powerful open palmed blow to to his left knee stunning his leg and locking his joints together. Then having got behind him, she aimed a hard strike to his right shoulder, knocking him off of his feet and sending in falling downwards onto his face yet again.

Laughs and cheers went up from the surrounding squad members who had been watching. "Another point for Fourth Seat Senkou!" A large man laughed. "What's the score at now!? Something like a hundred to zip!?"

"Just give if up Renji, you can't lay a finger on the girl!" A second laughed along with him.

"Shut up!" Renji shouted as he started to push himself to his feet. "I'm not done yet."Marai sighed and turned her back on his, starting to walk away. "Hey! Where do you think your going!? We aren't through!" Renji protested.

"Yes we are. We've been at this for long enough as it is. It's almost lunch time, and I'm starting to get hungry." Marai said, throwing the man a glare. Several of her squad meets gulped and backed up. When Marai got hungry, bones tended to break. Even Renji was smart enough to shut his trap at that point. Marai glanced at the two idiots who had been laughing at Renji earlier. "You two, keep Abarai busy until I'm done with my snack. If he is so convinced he can beat me then taking both of you on should be no problem for him."

"Ye...yes ma'am." The two said together as they got up and picked up there own practice swords. They didn't dare disobey her.

To the outsider that would seem strange, as they were large buff middle aged men and she looked to be an lean eight year old girl. But she hadn't become fourth seat in just six years for nothing. She was much stronger than they were, and they knew it.

Not only that, but her father was Zaraki Kenpachi, the squads Captain, who had taken the position by killing the previous Captain the day after he officially became a Soul Reaper. Also, she was the sister of the tiny Lieutenant who was scare in and of herself, for her own reasons.

Marai moved down to the dining hall and grabbed the small basket of rice balls that were waiting for her, before taking her normal seat and starting at her meal. She was hardly there for ten seconds before a voice joined her.

"You could be a little easier on poor little Renji you know." She didn't have to look up to know that voice. It was Ayasegawa Yumichika, the squad's fifth seat. Though Yumichika was actually a little stronger that Marai herself, he refused to take the fourth seat, saying that he liked the look of the number five better.

"He was begging for it. Literally." Marai said disinterestedly as she kept eating. "I don't even know what an Academy boy like him is doing in our squad to began with."

There were three main ways to become a Soul Reaper. The first was to be high born enough to get in simply through connections. The second was to go to the academy for seven years and pass a bunch of stupid classes. And the last way was to join Squad 11 and survive for a whole year. These people usually lacked the resources to go to the school, or had criminal records that they wanted erased.

Squad 11 was called the combat squad, though in reality it was closer to cannon fodder. They were deployed once a week to high concentrations of Hollows in order to do population control on the monsters. Only about one in every ten or so new members survive that first year, and then they usually transfered out as fast as they could.

So for someone like Abarai to actually go to the Academy and then 'willingly' go to squad 11 was hard to understand. It made no sense at all.

"You mean you don't know? I thought the whole squad knew." Yumichika said in faked surprise.

"What are you talking about now?" Marai asked the flamboyant man, before shoving another rice ball into her mouth.

"It's simple really; he's in love." Yumichika said with a smile. Marai choked on her food, hitting her chest hard as she tried to convince it all to go down the right way.

Squad 11 had only around five females in the entire squad, and only two of those had been with the squad since before Renji had joined them three years back; Yachiru and Marai herself. And since Renji had the appearance of a sixteen year old and Yachiru and Marai looked like a four and an eight year old respectively, this was very creepy.

"Remind me to snap his neck!" Marai growled.

"No no, he's in love with the Kuchiki girl. You know, the one from squad 13?" Yumichika said with a small chuckle. Marai had to think back. She hadn't been much for gossip, but she vaguely remembered a girl by that name at the last Women's Society meeting. A small girl who looked like a twelve year old with raven black hair and purple eyes. She had been pretty enough, but it was still rather creepy for the man to be after someone like her. "They were childhood friends, grew up on the streets of Abarai together before the girl was taken into the Kuchiki family. In fact, her name had also been Abarai before she became a Kuchiki."

"If that is the case, then why doesn't he just go to squad 13 if he wants to be with her so badly?" Marai asked. It still didn't make much sense to her.

"Its because he doesn't want to just be with her. He wants to 'have her'. To be able to someday marry her. And in order to do that, he needs to get recognition by the high nobles. So he needs to be a Captain." Yumichika said, spelling it out.

Marai scoffed. "If he thinks he can beat Kenpachi, then he is a bigger idiot than I thought. He couldn't beat our Captain in a million years."

Yumichika laughed. "Too true, no one can beat Captain Zaraki. But that isn't his objective. He is looking to get a lot of combat experience under his belt with our squad so that he can become a Lieutenant and then later a Captain. Other squads don't see enough combat for him to get enough experience to compete with some of the older Soul Reapers, so even though he is sticking his neck out, he is going to stay with us until he can climb the ranks. That's why he is so intent on beating you. He wants your seat so that he can have an easier time getting a lieutenant position. And he isn't stupid enough to think he can beat Yachiru, Ikkaku or yours truly. And the sixths and sevenths seats aren't a big enough jump to be enticing to him."

Marai scoffed. "If he wants my seat he will have to pry my butt out of it." She said in a very unlady-like manner. "If you ask me, he's just being stupid, and is going to get himself killed sooner or later."

Yumichika chuckled into his hand again. "Well, love has been known to make people do stupid things." He said before getting up and walking off to find Ikkaku.

After eating, Marai got up and started wondering back to the training area. "Fighting not for your own survival, or for the thrill, but for love?" Marai mumbled to herself, trying to wrap her mind around it. "How idiotic."

She turned the corner into the training room to find Renji standing over the two men who she had left him with. He had caught his breath and was staring at her with an inventive look. He still looked like he need to go to Squad 4 for some medical treatment, but he was now standing strong and didn't look like he would listen to anyone about leaving.

"About time you got back. I was starting to worry that you had just ran off." Renji said as he raised his wooden sword.

"Don't flatter yourself." Marai said, raising up her own sword and getting ready. Regardless of motivations, she would not let herself lose. She would never let anyone have that kind of power over her.

* * *

"Lord Voldemort you say?" Ichimaru Gin said with his usual serpent like smile as he held up the report on his assignment. "Odd name. French isn't it? Something to do with running from death."

"Yes. He was said to have died thirteen years ago, but the wizarding population has rumors going around about him having returned to life." Head Captain Yamamoto said as he seat behind his desk, making stern eye contact with the snake like Captain of Squad 3. Gin had just been promoted and this would be his first assignment as Captain. "You are to access the validity of these rumors and if you can confirm the Dark Lord's continued existence on the mortal plane, then you are to arrange for a squad to work along size the wizarding group known as the Order of the Phoenix in order to bring down this dark lord and find out how he resisted becoming a hollow for so long. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal sir." Gin said, not even seeming to open his eyes as he scanned the report. "It seems that the first place to go would be the one behind the rumors, an Albus Dumbledore." He said his smile lengthening. "I will began right away."

* * *

 **Yes I am making the rules up as I go along. Nor do I really care too much about cannon time lines. Even though eight years have gone by since 'Harry's death, she has only aged a few months.**

 **Voldemort is back to life, and I am going to be having the mission to confront this problem involve Renji and Yachiru, with Renji being placed in charge so that he can get something for leadership experience.**

 **Marai will need a release weapon, not that I really care as to the type.**


	4. Chapter 4

Sometimes Dumbledore wanted to just give up. Wanted to simply pack it in and leave the world to its fate.

No one who actually understood what was going on would deny that he has tried his best, but the wizarding community seemed determined to stick its head in the ground until they had a wand shoved straight up their butts. Trying to save them sometimes seemed like a lost cause.

After everything that had happened in the last four years, the Ministry of Magic was still insisting that Voldemort was gone. There was so much evidence of his revival that it was embarrassing. Each and every ex-Death Eater could show them the mark and vouch for the dark lords return. The Riddler family graveyard was filled with the dark magic from the ritual used for the creation of Voldemort's new body. But the Ministry refused to hear it.

They denied that it was Voldemort who possessed Quirrell in order to try to steal the Philosopher's Stone. They would not admit to the fragment of his soul that had reopened the Chamber of Secrets and released the Basilisk that had killed nearly a dozen students. Or how that fragment had drained away Ginny Weasley's life force, nearly killing the poor child, in order to create a body for itself. They refused to accept that Cedric Diggory was murdered in order to be a part of the ritual.

Not only that, but they were try to do everything they could to discredit Dumbledore as he tried to set up a counter measure against the revived Dark Lord. They were using every resource at there disposal in order to try to make him look like a loony old man. It was nearly heartbreaking to see all the recognition he had worked his entire life to establish being taken away from him one by one. To see the people who once begged him for advice telling him that he was over the hill and needed to retire.

The Headmaster nearly cried after the latest owl arrived at his office, informing him that there was to be a hearing to discuss whether or not he was still qualified to run Hogwarts. It wasn't bad enough they took him out of the chocolate cards set, they wanted to take his school away from him. They said that since all of the tragedies happened on his watch, he wasn't fit to be headmaster. Overlooking the fact that all of those things happened when the Ministry had used it authority to remove Albus or tie his hands.

"Maybe its for the best, Fawkes." Dumbledore said softy as he gently ran his hand over the Phoenix's bright red and yellow feathers. The bird gave a small whimper. "With my duties to Hogwarts brought to an end, I can concentrate my efforts on gaining allies for the war that is to come."

He closed his eyes, thinking about how poorly things were going on that front. The werewolves, goblins and giants were all till neutral, but the Death Eaters had already recruited the vampires and several troll clans, and they had agents working on both the werewolves and the giants. With each passing day, it seemed more and more likely that the two groups would be fighting under the banner of the Dark Lord in the coming fight. This wasn't even mentioning the countless spies that the Death Eaters had placed in the Ministry.

And even more disturbing to the Headmaster was the news that came to him from his spy, Severus Snape. Voldemort was somehow calling on extremely dark creatures and binding them to his will; Hollows.

Little was known about these creatures. Their size, shape and power varied from monster to monster, but they were easy enough to spot by the plaster white masks and the dark presence that followed them. They also knew what they ate; souls.

The ministry classified them as 'Non-beings' as they were said to be formed from lingering spirits who were consumed by negative energy. Their thick skins made them resistant to most jinxs and hexs, though stronger curses and charms were found to be effective in either damaging them or driving them off.

With the Ministry refusing to see the coming threat, it was being allowed to grow larger and larger. Soon the storm would hit them full force. It was only a matter of time. How was he supposed to find allies, when it seemed the world was content to just let itself die?

Fawkes bristled underneath Dumbledore's touch. "What is the matt..." Dumbledore started as he opened his eyes to look to the bird, but his tongue went slack as he saw a man sitting in the guest seat across from his desk.

"Good evening, Albus Dumbledore. I was wondering if I could have a small word with you?" The man said. His hair was a shining silver color and his skin was pale as a ghost. A large grin filled his face as his eyes seemed to be completely closed. He was dressed in a odd black tonic like uniform with a white coat over it. Dumbledore's eyes went to a short sword on the man's waist.

Dumbledore quickly adjusted, letting his unassuming smile spread across his features even as his mind raced. 'How had this man gotten into his office?'

"Sorry I didn't make myself known sooner. I was here went you came in, but I decided to watch you for a bit. Hope you don't mind?" The man said with a tilt of his head.

Dumbledore didn't react. Was that true? Had the man been in his office the entire time and he had just not noticed? "That is quite alright, though I do find myself in a bit of a pickle. You know who I am, but I do not believe I have had the pleasure of your acquaintance." Dumbledore said, keeping his cool. He lifted up his small tin of candies. "Lemon drop?"

"Oh, don't mind if I do." The silvered haired individual said as he leaned forward, picking up one of the small candies and popping it into his mouth. Dumbledore was a little miffed that the man didn't open his eyes as he did so. Without the used of eye-contact, legilimency, the act of probing another's mind, was incredibly difficult. "I am Ichimaru Gin, or Gin Ichimaru as your people would say it."

So the man was East Asian. He seemed rather tall for that. Then again, Dumbledore doubted appearance meant much with an individual like this one. His body language was far too controlled for him to really be the mid twenties he appeared to be.

"I'm from an organization that is rather interested in a certain little story you have been spreading around, Dumbledore-san." Gin said his face unchanging as he tilted his head slightly, giving the increased impression that he was smiling. Japanese, Dumbledore recognized the postfix.

"And what story would that be?" Dumbledore inquired. "Hopefully this isn't about the rumor that I am secretly the head singer of the old Night Parade group, because that I am afraid isn't true."

Gin chuckled good naturedly, though it seemed rather hollow to the Headmaster. "No, I am referring to the rumor of a Dark Lord's revival. I believe you call him, Voldemort?"

Dumbledore's face didn't betray his surprise at hearing the man speaking the name without any sign of the usual fear. "Ah, I am afraid that one is true."

"Hm... what sort of evidence do you have towards this effect? And do you know how he accomplished it?" Gin asked simply.

Dumbledore paused. This man was no agent of Voldemort's, but how much was safe to reveal to him. Voldemort knew that Snape was acting as a double agent, though he believed that the potions teacher was truly in his pocket. So revealing that he had a spy would harm no one. "I have a spy in the Dark Lord's inner circle. We are very sure of his return. As to how he was revived, I am afraid I do not know the details."

"Hm... you're lying about that second part." Gin said, shouldn't sure of himself, though he didn't seem to care all that much about the lie. "But I suppose that is to be expected. We can discuss the rest of the information after we terminate this 'Dark Lord'." Gin nodded and straightened up. "I am sorry, I guess I need to explain myself. As I said, I am Gin Ichimaru, though I neglacted to say that I am the Captain of the Third Squad of the Thirteen Court Guards. I'm a Soul Reaper."

"As I guessed." Dumbledore said with a nodded. He had figured ever since he had seen the blade at the man's hip, and his dark clothes underneath the white. Though to hear that he was a Captain confused Dumbledore a little, not knowing much about Soul Reaper societies.

Soul Reapers were considered to be a myth by most. Another Non-being of whom's power rivaled that of the Hollows and who was always at war with the monsters. They were said to be sort of guardians who over saw the balance of souls and reincarnation, under the watching and leadership of a God they called the 'Spirit King'. They were an army made up of souls that had passed on into the after life. Or so the stories went.

"If you don't mind me asking, how old are you really?" Dumbledore said with a raised eyebrow.

Gin laughed at the way the wizard was keeping his cool. "I'm around two hundred and something. Not really quite sure. Never bothered to keep track in those early years." Gin said.

"I'm jealous." Dumbledore said looking at the man's young body. "What I wouldn't give to have a body like that again. Age has its benefits, but I find that I can't go too long without needing to use the bathroom any more." Dumbledore joked. "So what does a legendary Soul Reaper want from me? Surely it isn't my time to pass on yet."

"No it isn't, but this Voldemort fellow was supposed to have been long gone by now. So we are a little upset to hear that he is back among the living. I have orders to find out if the rumors were true, and if I found that they are, then I was to extend an offer for assistance to your 'Order of the Phoenix'." Gin explained as he reached forward and took another lemon drop.

Dumbledore was shocked still. He couldn't exactly believe his luck. Soul Reapers were the natural enemies of Hollows, and possessed magic and strength that would be invaluable in a war. The legends of the old war between the Soul Reapers and the Witch Hunters, the Quincy, were just that 'legendary'.

"Not that I am going to help you myself. I am far too important. But we will organize a small unit to assist you, Dumbledore-san." Gin clarified. "Now I don't know too much about this Voldemort fellow. So I hope you wouldn't mind telling me, exactly how did he die?"

"Well, that is a story." Dumbledore said, leaning back in his seat. He's uncomfortable shift was hard to notice. It wasn't as though that was a secret, everyone knew. But the thought of what had happened still brought forth the feelings of guilt. "It was thirteen years ago. Voldemort had tried to kill a small girl who was prophecized to be the one who would bring about the Dark Lords down fall. She was only a two year old child, completely defenseless. But when Voldemort had tried to kill the girl, his spell backfired and destroyed him. Or his body at least."

Gin opened his eyes in surprise. Dumbledore saw the bright blue eyes and took his chance, sending a probe into the man's mind. It didn't even last a second. After seeing a short glimpse of a field of tall golden grass, Albus found that his probe had been destroyed. The man's eyes closed again and he smile, though he pretended that nothing had happened. "I see, rather a funny way for the man to die." Gin said with a chuckle.

"I suppose it is." Dumbledore said sadly. "The most powerful Dark Wizard died, and the girl escaped with nothing but a single scar in the shape of a lightning bolt."

Gin froze, his jaw stopping mid chuckle before he smiled even wider. "That is an interesting shape... What happened to this child?"

Dumbledore had to fight down a wince. "She died, eight years ago at the age of seven. Her Aunt and Uncle who hated her for her witch's blood starved her to death." Dumbledore said, feeling as though his stomach was turning. "Her name was... Poppy Potter."

Gin paused for a second, then he burst out into laughter. Dumbledore was surprised by the reaction. "Oh Kami! I can't wait to see Zaraki's face!" The man laughed. He stood up and pulled a long white cloth from underneath his tonic. "I'll see you in a week, down in the dining hall I think. Bring everyone you feel you can trust. I want to see their reactions. I've got a surprise for all of you."

He started to chant rapidly in Japanese before Dumbledore could recover and the cloth started to spin around him faster and faster. Then he vanished into thin air, leaving only a sharp wind behind him and a startled headmaster.

* * *

 **Two of the most skilled liars sit down across from each other.**

 **I don't know why people tend to be unsympathetic towards Dumbledore. People really treated him like shit and he had to deal with the stress of everything being dumped on his shoulders.**

 **I'm finding that this starting in the middle of the story is rather hard to write for, as adding character descriptions doesn't feel natural when the person in the focus of the story already is very familiar with these people. It is easy when you are having meetings to add in the details, but not so much when they are old friends or acquaintances.**


	5. Chapter 5

Zaraki Kenpachi was in no hurry to get to the Captains' meeting. He hated those stupid meetings. Standing around in the office for people to talk about a whole lot of nothing. Maybe a bit about a noble wedding or something that would require extra security, or some such nonsense. Nothing that had anything to do with Squad 11. The combat squad was kept so far away from those parties that they might as well be in a different plane of existence.

To make it worse, Ichimaru was the one that requested this meeting. It wasn't as though he especially hated Ichimaru or anything, but the guy's smile always made him want to flatten his face. Why did they even want him there? Couldn't they just let him nap in his office like he usually did around midafternoon.

He half considered just turning away. He was late already because some moron decided to build the city like a fucking maze and the last time he smashed a short cut straight from his barracks all the way to the inner walls, everyone got all pissy at him. It wasn't like they actually used all of those buildings for anything.

Even so, he found himself pushing his way through the large red wood doors into the Captains' meeting room. Naturally, he was the last one who was actually going to be showing up to get there. Meaning there were only ten of them including Zaraki himself.

The Squad 10 seat was vacant after the previous 10th got promoted to being a Royal Guard and then went rogue. The Squad 9 seat had been empty for a while, and Ukitake, the Squad 13 Captain was usually too sick to come in. Zaraki once asked what the guy had and was told that he was missing his lungs. Sounded weird to the him. He always assumed people would die without those, not just become sick. Didn't you need those to breath, and talk?

The nine other Captains in the room looked at him with disapproving stares. "You're late! Can't you even manage to get here on time you useless ape! You're wasting your better's valuable time!" Kurotsuchi said as the clown faced freak sneered at him.

"Bite me!" Zaraki growled as he took his place next to the clown. That was something else he hated about the meets. As the Captain of Squad 11, he was stuck standing next to the Captain of Squad 12. The fucking self righteous science experiment gone wrong, who for reasons best known to himself covers his body with black and white makeup, dyes his hair blue, and insults all the other Captain's despite the fact that he was the weakest of them.

"Enough." Head-Captain Yamamoto said from his position at their head. "We have all gathered here. Now Captain Ichimaru, give us your report."

"Certainly." The snake like man said with his freakish grin. "After a short investigation, I've concluded that the one the wizards referred to as 'Lord Voldemort', has indeed managed to return to life. Though their government denies it, and the Dark Wizard has tried to remain in hiding. As long as he does so, I believe that it would be next to impossible to track him down. He is rather skilled with magic and has avoided even my best efforts to locate him using Kido."

"So in other words, your useless." Kurotsuchi spat.

"Now that is a little harsh." Gin said, rubbing the back of his neck in a pitiful gesture. "The amount of time needed to preform a proper stake out to wait for him to reveal himself is rather long."

"Stake outs. Dammit." Zaraki grumbled. "You called me here to talk about stake outs. You should have just let me sleep."

"Oh don't say that. After all, I thought your Squad would be taking over this mission, considering one of your squad members is personally involved and could potentially lure out Little Voldy." Ichimaru said, smiling straight at Zaraki.

"The hell are you talking about?" Zaraki said, narrowing his uncovered eye at the silver haired Captain. "My squad has nothing to do with any wizards."

"You mean you don't know?" Ichimaru said, pretending to be surprised. Kenpachi gritted his teeth as his desire to knock out teeth grew.

"Explain yourself, Captain Ichimaru." Yamamoto commanded, starting to get annoyed with Gin's games.

"Of course. It has to do with how Voldemort died in the first place." Ichimaru explained, taking up a stance as if he was a teacher in a classroom holding a pointer. "Thirteen years ago, Voldemort attacked a wizarding family composed of a two year old girl and her parents, with the intention of killing all three." Zaraki had to suppress a growl at the cowardliness of it all. "After killing both the parents, he moved on to the child, using the killing curse, 'Avada Kedavra', in order to try to finish the baby girl off. But for reasons unknown, the curse rebounded on him, destroying his body."

"And what the hell does that have to do with my Squad?" Zaraki said, trying to keep his voice agitated.

"Well, the girl survived the curse almost completely unharmed, save for a single scar on the center of her forehead. One in the shape of a lightning bolt." Gin said, grinning at Zaraki. The Squad 11 Captain froze. "Her name, was Poppy Potter, and she was sent to live with her Aunt and Uncle with spells placed around their home in order to protect her from dark wizards. But her relatives hated the girl, and she died of starvation at the age of seven. After that, she was adopted by none other than our own Zaraki Kenpachi and her name was changed to Senkou Marai."

Zaraki struggled to keep his face and spiritual pressure steady as the gears in his mind spun around from this information.

"She survived the Avada Kedavra curse?" Kurotsuchi said, tapping an extended black fingernail against his chin. "Curious. That spell is supposed to be unblockable. I wonder what about her allowed her to survive it. Perhaps I could find out..." Zaraki's eye widened at the implication.

His spiritual pressure sky rocketed as he lifted up his right arm. Kurotsuchi was too surprised to react in time as Zaraki swung down and ripped the man's left arm clean off.

"Son of a WHORE!" Kurotsuchi screamed as he fell to his knees and groped at the stub were his arm had been. Several of the other Captains reached for their swords, making the mad Captain's spiritual pressure raise even higher.

"Have you lost your mind, Zaraki!?" Squad 2 Captain, Suì-Fēng, hissed at the man.

"What's the big deal? He can grow it back." Zaraki growled, his eyes not leaving Kurotsuchi. Zaraki wasn't afraid of Suì-Fēng, or her zanpakuto's ability. It was useless against him. After all, what good is a weapon that can kill if you can inject poison into them twice in the same spot if you can't even scratch your enemies skin. The assassin had tried to kill him before, and she had failed.

The only ones that might have been able to beat him, Yamamoto, Kyōraku, and Unohana, weren't reaching for blades. No mater how much Zaraki wished they would. So many wonderful opponents right next to him. His skin was crawling with excitement.

"That isn't the point." Kyōraku said in a sad tone, tilting his hat down to cover his eyes.

"Your right, it isn't." Zaraki said, throwing the severed arm to the ground as Kurotsuchi struggled to get at the injections he kept on his person. "The point is this; you ever try to lay a finger on one of my Squad, and I will rip your head from your shoulders next time." Zaraki growled as he looked down at the scientist. His spiritual energy forming into a large golden skull around him.

"Damn you, you filthy ape!" Kurotsuchi said as he pressed the needle into his stub. A moment later a brand new arm was in the old one's place. "I will get you for this." He hissed.

Zaraki's desire to kill was growing larger and larger. He could hardly control it. So many willing fighters. He would fight them all. His hand started to move towards his sword.

"Zaraki." The flat, and disapproving voice cut through the man's blood lust. He looked up to see Unohana looking at him with a disappointed expression. The woman's black braid hung down in front of her chest, covering the scar that Zaraki himself had once given her. In that battle so many year ago. The first fight he had ever really enjoyed, and the only fight he had ever lost.

Zaraki stared back before lowering his arm and giving a loud scoff. "I'm out of here." He said, turning to leave the room.

"Oh, what about the mission?" Ichimaru asked, seemingly undisturbed by the narrowly escaped war that had almost taken place.

Zaraki looked back over his shoulder to the smiling freak. "We'll take it." Zaraki said, before pushing his way out the doors and leaving the others staring after him. It was the way of Squad 11. If you enemy tries to kill you and fails, you make them live to regret it.

* * *

The Squad 11 echoed with the sound of wood striking against wood as Marai and Ikkaku waged a small war in the middle of the training room. The speed of their attacks were a blur making it seem like there were six wooden swords flying through the air, rather than just the two. The two's eyes moved constantly, trying to find blind spots and openings in order to over come the other.

Ikkaku had the advantage. He was taller, stronger, and faster than the girl, and had nearly a hundred years experience on her, but even so, he was finding it rather difficult to end it. No matter what combo or faint he tried, she always managed to keep up with his sword.

Ikkaku preformed a double tap strike from above in order too focus the girls blade up, then carefully pulled his sword back in order to move around the guard to straight at her chest.

Didn't work.

She pivoted her arm down, parrying his strike outwards and preformed her own lung for his far leg while moving toward his near one, so that he would need to decide between blocking this attack and preparing himself for the next.

Sadly, this was a mistake. He placed his guard but moved rather than commiting to it, moved himself closer in an used his free hand to straight at her shoulder from a blind spot, only to have her dip her head to fly underneath it.

He knew she would, which is why he brought the hand back around and got her in the side, tossing her down onto the mat.

Marai looked up, a pout on her face as she stared into Ikkaku wooden sword, the tip of which was pointed right between her eyes.

"Not bad, but whoever told you the best defense is a good offense was full of shit. You committed too much to your forward motion and couldn't react to my attack without throwing yourself off balance. Change the form for you footing on that strike pattern before next time." Ikkaku said as Marai got back up. "Other than that, good morning work out. See you later."

"Sure." Marai said, sounding just a little disappointed as she moved off.

Ikkaku's eyes followed her until he spotted Renji holding a practice sword and eyeing Marai. Sighing, he walked up and grabbed the 8th seat by the collar. "What the?" Renji said in surprise.

"What the hell are you doing just standing around here Abarai!? I would have thought you have something better to do!" Ikkaku said loudly as he started dragging Renji away. "You're coming with me for today."

"Hey... wait! No!" Renji shouted, but it was too late, Marai had already left, and Ikkaku wasn't about to let him go.

* * *

"Dammit Abarai, just leave the girl alone." Ikkaku said in an annoyed voice after he had dragged Renji to a local bar. "You're never going to beat her."

"That isn't true! I'm almost there! I know I can do it!" Renji barked, but like a dog, it was all bark and no bite.

"No you can't." Ikkaku said as he sipped down a bit of saki. Most Squads would have said it was too early to be drinking, but with Squad 11, every day could be your last, so you might as well enjoy yourself. "She has a knack for fighting that makes her beyond you."

"I don't care how strong or fast she is, I will become stronger." Renji protested, though he poured himself a cup.

"It isn't about speed, strength, or experience. If it was about that, there would be nothing to worry about." Ikkaku said, brushing the pineapple head anger off. "Renji, did you know that Marai is nearly blind?"

"W...what!?" Renji spat out his saki in shock.

"Blind as a bat. She's so nearsighted that she can hardly see anything more than three feet in front of her, though she still refuses to get glasses. Says if she dies, she doesn't want to be caught dead in them!" Ikkaku said with a laugh.

"Even so, she can spot ever weak point in our guards, she can keep track of even the fastest moving objects, she can see through our faints and predict our attack patterns. Her ability to control her own body under pressure is something you see in seasoned fighters." Ikkaku said looking out into space. "She isn't doing all this through experience, simply through a natural instinct for battle. I can only beat her because I have only a hundred years of combat experience on her. You've got two years more experience than her, and most of your years of sword training were at the Academy. You don't stand a chance against her. Give her a few years, and even I will have to start worrying about my seat."

Renji looked down at his cup, and then grinned. "You have only made me want to beat her all the more." He said, sounding like he had taken one too many to the head. Ikkaku raised an eyebrow. "I have a goal that is far beyond her, and if I'm going to reach it, I'll have to be able to surpass even someone who is naturally talented."

"Beating her won't get you any closer to being a Captain." Ikkaku said, shaking his head. "You need a Bankai for that." Renji want silent. It was true, but he didn't look happy about it. "Just give it a rest, and try to actually improve yourself rather than just throwing yourself at her day after day."

"Ikkaku... why aren't you a Captain?" Renji said, stopping the third seat's drink just short of his lips. "I know you have one. So why don't you want a squad of your own? There are two empty spots."

"Don't want 'em." Ikkaku said simply. "I don't expect you to understand, you've never really been one of us, but I will follow our Captain till the end. If he decided that he was going to lay siege to hell itself, then I would be right there with him, whether he wanted me to be or not. That is simply our way of life. Honor among thieves." Ikkaku said with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Before Renji could respond, two Hell Butterflies flew into the room and flew around the two. Ikkaku cursed in annoyance. "Hey, can we get some stuff to go!" He shouted to the show keep as he pulled out his coin pouch.

It was a call to a meeting. Dammit, he hated meetings.

* * *

 **Marai is nearsighted, but still manages to fight people just fine. She is prideful and stubborn. She grew up around a lot of swearing and violence, and that is how she is going to be in this story.**

 **None of that stuff with the character being some weird perfect person without any character flaws or personal problems.**


	6. Chapter 6

"Is this it? Where the hell are the other three!?" Zaraki growled after Ikkaku and Renji entered the room. Yachiru, Marai, Yumichika, and the tenth seat, Makizo, had already been there. This left seats nine, seven, and six missing.

"Ninth seat Romaka died last week, and the seventh and sixth are still in the recovery ward after you... ah..." Makizo's voice drowned off as he tried to think of none offensive words to describe what Zaraki had done to those two during a training exercise.

Makizo wasn't the kind of guy most people would expect to find in a place like Squad 11. He wasn't all that tall, or all that brave, or all that good with a sword, or all that stupid. In fact, he only had the seat do to seniority.

He had been a drunk who fell into debt and had decided that joining if he joined Squad 11, then he would at least be able to drink all he wanted before he died. That was ruffly sixty years ago, and the man had proven to have the devil's luck if not much power or skill. He could run through a war zone in nothing but his underwear and still make it out the other side in one piece.

"Oh, right. Forgot about that." Zaraki said disinterestedly. "Guess I still need to find a new ninth seat. Fuck it, it can wait."

"So why exactly did you call us here, Captain?" Ikkaku asked as he passed the Captain one of the bottle's of saki he had brought from the bar.

"The squad has been given a mission to flush out some damn wizard who's gone into hiding in England." Zaraki said as he pulled off the wax seal on the bottle and started to drink.

"A wizard? What a waste of time." Marai scoffed, Ikkaku nodded in agreement.

"Since when are stake outs our problem? That's Squad 10 business, not ours." Yumichika asked, raising his unusual eyebrow.

"Because of the target's past. Some prick with a stupid name, Volrdark or something, doesn't matter." Zaraki said his lip curling in annoyance. "He is our problem because it is the way of Squad 11 to finish our fights. The bastard is the one who killed Marai's parents and tried to kill her as a baby." The members of the squad froze, Marai blinked in surprise. "This is Marai's fight. Whether it is our usual duties or not."

Marai nodded. It was the way of Squad 11. It didn't matter if she didn't know this wizard guy and didn't care about him, it was her job to finish it. "I understand. I'll make sure to kill him quickly and return as soon as possible." She said, the small girl looking up at her adoptive father who gave her a nod of approval.

"I want to go too!" Yachiru shouted as she pulled on Zaraki's Captain's uniform. "I want to see the World of the Living with Sis! Can I go too, please Kenny!?" The small pink haired girl begged.

"Fine, whatever." Zaraki said before looking over the table. "Abarai!"

"Yes Captain!" Renji said, standing up at attention, making several members roll their eyes at the Academy Boy.

"You'll be going with them." Zaraki said. Renji paled and his eyes widened in panic. Being stuck on a mission for an unknown amount of time with Yachiru and Marai. That was scary.

"Ca...Captain I..." Renji stuttered, but Zaraki cut him off.

"You'll be in charge of coordinating the mission. That a good enough feather in your cap?" Zaraki said, glaring at Renji who's mouth shut. Being in charge of a long term field mission would be good for his record. It would place him one big step closer to becoming a lieutenant.

"What!? But we out rank him. Why should that idiot be in charge?" Marai objected as she throw Renji a glare. The red haired man glared right back at her.

"Because the sooner he gets his 'experience', the sooner he can get his ass out of my squad. I'm tired of this love sick kid causing trouble around barracks." Zaraki said. Renji flushed, did everyone know about that? "Besides, this mean's the paperwork is his problem." Zaraki leaned back in his chair. "You'll be leaving tomorrow with that snake faced bastard, Ichimaru. He'll probably explain the details. Now get out of here. I'm already missing my afternoon nap."

They all left in a hurry. Renji and Marai still glaring at each other as they left. Zaraki leaned back and closed his eyes.

The real reason he had placed Renji in charge was so that Marai and Yachiru wouldn't be bound to the mission. If it was going to take more that a few days, he didn't want his daughters to be stuck on Earth until it was done.

He wanted for them to always have the option to come home.

* * *

Dumbledore had gathered all the members of the Order of the Phoenix that he could in the Great Hall. Some of them couldn't make it, and for some it would have been too dangerous.

Sirus was still a wanted man, and so was held up in the Black Family house, no matter how much he wanted to leave. Hagrid was off trying to convince the giant's not to side with Voldemort. Shacklebolt was held up at the Ministry keeping guard while the others were away.

Other than that, everyone was there, waiting for the arrival of their 'new allies'.

"I don't like this one bit." Alistair Moody grumbled as he took a small drink for his personal bottle. He was a paranoid wreck as always, but the ex-Auror was even more nervous than usual. His large magic eye was spinning so fast in its socket that some thought they could smell smoke coming from it. He had whipped his head around so much that his graying hair was a even more scattered that usual. "The Soul Reapers never done anything that doesn't serve their own purposes. Never have, never will. So why now? Voldemort is a threat, but not to those creatures."

"Calm down Mad-Eye, we already know that the Death Eaters are trying to gather Hollows. Is it so hard to believe that the Soul Eaters are angry about that?" Tonks said to her elder. She was young, really young, only around twenty and fresh out of the Auror's training institution. Her hair was short and bright pink at the moment, but that was irrelevant, since it had a tendency to change at a moments notice. "I say we don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

"Carelessness will get you killed." Moody growled at the girl. "Nothing good ever comes of dealing with Death Gods. All the stories say so. They bring destruction, war, and death wherever they go."

"Alastair, while I can agree that we must be careful, I believe your comments are a little short sighted." Dumbledore said in his usual teacher's voice. "After all, they do not bring destruction, they are drawl to it by their own needs. If my house is attacked, and an Auror comes to look at it, I do not blame the Auror for bringing tragedy to my home. Surely an old fighter like you can understand that?"

Moody frowned, but nodded. "Sorry Dumbledore, but I don't like facing the unknown, and I don't know thing about these people."

"Yes, people are not afraid of the dark, but the not knowing what is in it. I am no exception to this. I have my fears." Dumbledore admitted. "But unless we venture in and turn on the lights, it shall forever remain in darkness."

"Well, they didn't so us any favors by not telling us 'exactly' when they were going to arrive." Severus Snape grumbled. The potions master's body language hardly told anything, his robs hid most of his shifting about and his mate of greasy black hair would stay in place even if he shook his head back and forth. "We have been here for three hours sitting on our hands. They clearly care nothing for our time."

"I would assume that Time doesn't mean as much to them as it does to us." Ramus Lupin commented. He was much calmer than the rest of them, since it was the new moon that night. He was even excited at the chance of seeing beings from beyond the other veil of death. It would be a chance for him to ask if the legends about Werewolves' souls being damned to hell for their nature were true. Not to mention all the other questions that only someone like them could answer. "They live far longer than we do. I would guess that they would laugh at the idea of three hours when they have all eternity."

"Regardless of how long you live, three hours of sitting on your hands is three hours of sitting on your hands." Mr. Weasley said, as he shifted around in his seat, trying to keep the feeling in his legs. The red haired middle aged man was starting to show signs of a receding hair line, but otherwise he looked the picture of health, and extremely anxious. "Reminds me of when we used to make the twins wait to hear what their punishment would be in order to make them think about what they had done." His wife nodded in agreement from the seat next to him.

Dumbledore looked over the assembled witches and wizards. He couldn't blame them for being worried. The Gods of Death were beings from their ghost stories. Tales that they would tell their children before going to bed to keep them from forgetting their place in the world. To reinforce the fact that regardless their powers, wizards were not gods. The war between the Soul Reapers and the Quincy was the equivalent of Ragnarok in their culture. Two warring races whose power completely dwarfed theirs fighting to the bitter end for the fate of the world.

The Headmaster had to admit, he himself was uneasy about the idea of depending of the benevolence of these spirits. But he also understood that they had little choice in the matter. This was war, and if they lost, they would all be killed.

"Dumbledore." Mcgonagall whispered as she pointed towards a point in the air before the Head Table. Everyone froze as they saw a vertical line starting to appear in the air before a decretive paper door appeared. The door slid open and Gin Ichimaru stepped out, the same cocky grin he had on his face the last time Dumbledore had seen him was still there, a black and red butterfly was circling around him. The look was making the already uncomfortable people even more uncomfortable.

"Hello again, Dumbledore-san." Gin said, tilting his entire body to the side and giving a sort of wave. The man was clearly mad... as in crazy. "I'm glad to see so many faces here today. I managed to get you a team to help you. I think you will all be very surprised."

Stepping aside, Gin held his hand out to the door and the witches and wizards held their breath, waiting to see what kind of warrior would appear.

"WEEEE!" Jaws dropped as a tiny pink haired girl cartwheeled out of the door before bouncing up into the air and don't a triple back flip before landing on the table right in front of Dumbledore on the table, her pink eyes looking straight into his surprised blue. "Hello Mister Wizard. Do you have any candy?" She asked him as she tilted her head and gave the headmaster a huge smile. She looked as if she was only three year old, and was dressed in a black robe like outfit. Dumbledore's eyes found the sword she held at her side in a bright pink sheath. This girl... was one of the dreaded Soul Reapers? He almost burst into tears he laughed so hard.

"I believe we can find some for..." Dumbledore started, but was cut off.

"Don't do it!" A young man with crimson hair rushed out of the portal. He seemed to be gasping for breath. "Lieutenant Kusajishi! Please control yourself! We are on a mission!"

The man looked like he was around sixteen and was dressed in the same kind of uniform as the girl. His sword was at his side, tied to a white belt, and his body was covered in tattoos. He looked like a punk.

The pink haired girl glared at the young red haired man as he approached her. "Don't be a kill joy, Aka-pain(red pine, as in pineapple or porcupine)!" The girl said angrily before spitting straight into the guy's face.

"Ah! You little brat!" The young man growled before lunging at the girl, only for her to jump over the lung, kick him on the back of the head so that he fell face first into the ground before she spun through the air and landed in front of the portal.

"Please tell me this isn't happening." Snape groaned. Despite being a teach, he hated children.

"So much for the mysterious lords of death." Lupin said, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Just let her do what she wants, Abarai. It isn't like you can stop her." A third voice said, coming from the portal. The gathered people watched in growing astonishment as a small girl, one who looked only eight years old if even stepped out through the gate. She gave a half smile at the red haired man. "Face down on the ground again, huh Akademiboi(academy-boy)?" She said with a smug smile.

"I don't believe it, she can't be." Mcgonagall whispered to herself. It seemed as if everyone was thinking the same thing.

She was dressed in the same uniform as the other two, her sword at her side. Her green eyes looked annoyed as she stared back at the wizards. Her messy black hair was shoulder length but did nothing to hide the lightning bolt scar in the center of her forehead. A scar that everyone in the wizarding England has hurried of.

"The girl who lived, lives again." Dumbledore mumbled as the red haired man shouted insults back in rapid Japanese. This had not been what any of them had been expecting.

* * *

 **Poor Renji. Hopefully he will survive.**


End file.
